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(Peace be upon him) reached the seventh heaven and met Abraham (Ibrahim) (Peace be upon him)
and saluted him. The latter returned the salutation and expressed faith in his Prophethood. Then he
was carried to
Sidrat-al-Muntaha
(the remotest lote tree) and was shown
Al-Bait-al-Ma‘mûr
[(the
much frequented house) which is like the Ka‘bah (Sacred House) encompassed daily by seventy
thousand angels, so that the angels who once encompassed it would not have their turn again till
the Resurrection]. He was then presented to the Divine Presence and experienced the thrill of
witnessing the Divine Glory and Manifestation at the closest possible propinquity. There the Lord
revealed unto His servant that which He revealed, and ordained fifty daily prayers for him. On his
return, he spoke to Moses that his followers had been enjoined to pray fifty times a day. Moses
addressing the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: “Your followers cannot perform so many prayers.
Go back to your Lord and ask for a remission in number.” The Prophet (Peace be upon him) turned
to Gabriel as if holding counsel with him. Gabriel nodded, “Yes, if you desire,” and ascended with
him to the Presence of Allâh. The All-Mighty Allâh, Glory is to Him, made a reduction of ten prayers.
He then descended and reported that to Moses, who again urged him to request for a further
reduction. Muhammad (Peace be upon him) once more begged his Lord to reduce the number still
further. He went again and again in the Presence of Allâh at the suggestion of Moses for reduction in
the number of prayers till these were reduced to five only. Moses again asked him to implore for
more reduction, but he said: “I feel ashamed now of repeatedly asking my Lord for reduction. I
accept and resign to His Will.” When Muhammad(Peace be upon him) went farther, a Caller was
heard saying: “I have imposed My Ordinance and alleviated the burden of My servants.”
There is however some difference as regards the issue whether the Prophet saw Allâh with his
physical eye or not. Some interpreters say that seeing Allâh with his naked eyes was not confirmed.
Ibn ‘Abbas, on the other hand, says that the word
Ru’ya
as used in the Noble Qur’ân signifies the
observation with the help of the eye.
In
Sûrah An–Najm
(Chapter —The Star) we read:
·
“Then he approached and came closer.” [53:8]
Here (he) refers to archangel Gabriel, and this context is completely different from that in the
Prophetic tradition of
Isra’
and
Mi‘raj
, where ‘the approach’ relates to that of the Lord, Glory is to
Him.
Some significant suggestive incidents featured the ‘Night Journey’ of the Prophet, of which we could
mention:
1. The Prophet’s breast was cleft by Gabriel, his heart extracted and washed with the water of
Zamzam —a sacred spring in Makkah.
2. In the same context, there were brought to him two gold vessels. There was milk in one,
while the other was full of wine. He was asked to choose either of them, so he selected the
vessel containing milk and drank it. He (the angel) said: “ You have been guided on
Al-Fitrah
or you have attained
Al-Fitrah
. Had you selected wine, your nation would have been misled.”
[It is a symbolic way of saying that good and evil in the form of milk and wine were brought
before the Prophet and he instinctive ly made a choice for the good. It is very difficult to
render the Arabic term ‘
Fitrah’
into English. It denotes the original constitution or
disposition, with which a child comes into this world, as contrasted with qualities or
inclinations acquired during life; besides it refers to the spiritual inclination inherent in man
in his unspoilt state].
3. The Prophet Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã told that he saw two manifest rivers, — the Nile and the
Euphrates — and two hidden ones. It appears that the two manifest rivers, the Nile and the
Euphrates, symbolically describe the area in whose fertile valleys, Muhammad’s Message will
settle, and the people whereof will always remain the adherent bearers of Islam that will be
passed on from generation to another. They can by no means suggest that they well up
from the Garden.
4. He had the opportunity to see Malik, the guardian of Hell, with a cheerless frowning face.
Therein, he saw the Hell dwellers, of whom were those who unjustly eat up the property of
the orphans. They have flews similar to those of camels, swallowing red-hot stones and then
issuing out of their backs. There were also the people who take usury with bellies too big to
be able to move around; they are trodden by the people of Pharaoh when these are
admitted into Hell. In the same abode, he saw the adulterers offered tasty fatty meat and
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